C. A. Stanley
Minstrel
There are so many ways you can do this...
I like to merge names. I tend to translate a few appropriate words into a couple of languages that have similar characteristics (not necessary linguistically, for example, Iceland and Russia are both cold, that'll do for me!), then mix and match and see what fits. Or I translate and use it as a foundation... One of my continents (hot, mainly desert) is called Ahtesk, improvised from the Turkish word for fire - ateş. The god on this continent is name Sham, from the Arabic word for sun - shams.
Or I take inspiration from history, or TV/film... I absolutely love the names Ragnar and Floki from Vikings, and so a lot of the names in one particular culture are Norse-inspired.
Rearranging letters is also an interesting method. Take a name that has letters you like (you may favour k or y or l), then spell it backwards, or swap some letters / syllables around. Probably a poor example, but the first thing that came into my head was Simba; this could become Abmis, or Sabim. Or add letters, Abmissa, Elsabim (I may actually use these names!). Depends what flavour you're going for.
I try different methods, and see what results fit the bill. It can be great fun, and checking out a word's etymology and translations is always interesting.
I like to merge names. I tend to translate a few appropriate words into a couple of languages that have similar characteristics (not necessary linguistically, for example, Iceland and Russia are both cold, that'll do for me!), then mix and match and see what fits. Or I translate and use it as a foundation... One of my continents (hot, mainly desert) is called Ahtesk, improvised from the Turkish word for fire - ateş. The god on this continent is name Sham, from the Arabic word for sun - shams.
Or I take inspiration from history, or TV/film... I absolutely love the names Ragnar and Floki from Vikings, and so a lot of the names in one particular culture are Norse-inspired.
Rearranging letters is also an interesting method. Take a name that has letters you like (you may favour k or y or l), then spell it backwards, or swap some letters / syllables around. Probably a poor example, but the first thing that came into my head was Simba; this could become Abmis, or Sabim. Or add letters, Abmissa, Elsabim (I may actually use these names!). Depends what flavour you're going for.
I try different methods, and see what results fit the bill. It can be great fun, and checking out a word's etymology and translations is always interesting.